118. Team 11
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After negotiations, Konoha released the captives from Sunagakure, including Gaara and his siblings, Temari and Kankuro.
Only the family knew about Gaara recognizing his relatives in Konoha, and this was not made public.
To the outside world, it simply appeared that the Hokage family had a close relationship with them.
After all, the three were the children of the late Fourth Kazekage, so it made sense for the Hokage to show concern for them.
Temari and Kankuro struggled to accept this at first, but after seeing Gaara change from a terrifying killing machine into a more compassionate person, they were genuinely grateful to the Hokage family.
However, unlike Gaara, who had long been deprived of love, they had no intention of recognizing relatives in Konoha.
As the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, Gaara had to return to Sunagakure with his team; staying in Konoha was out of the question.
Before departing, Minato and Naruto each gave Gaara a kunai. They knew it was only a matter of time before the Akatsuki would come after the Tailed Beasts.
For reasons unknown, either because of the seal or due to exhaustion, Shukaku had remained in a deep slumber and had yet to awaken.
Whenever Naruto asked Kurama about Shukaku's condition, Kurama would sneer and refer to Shukaku as a "He is weak"
For a few days, Gaara slept peacefully. Though his dark circles remained, his temperament improved considerably.
Naruto even joked that Gaara's former irritability might have been caused by a lack of sleep.
Gaara admitted that he liked Konoha and expressed his desire to change Sunagakure with his strength, aiming to make it as prosperous, harmonious, and peaceful as Konoha.
With the peace talks concluded, life in Konoha gradually returned to normal, and a flood of commissioned missions followed.
Konoha's strength had become evident to everyone, not just the Land of Fire. Merchants and nobles from other Villages also grew to trust Konoha's reputation more.
Minato, however, began to suffer from hand cramps from the constant sealing work, a painful yet happy problem.
Of course, the lower-ranking ninjas couldn't stay idle for long. Even Naruto was assigned new missions.
During this period, Minato officially incorporated Haku into Konoha's ninja squad.
Thus, Team 11 was formed, led by Jōnin Yūhi Kurenai, and Haku, Karin, with Kurama Yakumo.
The Kurama Clan had once been a prestigious family in Konoha, renowned for their Kekkei Genkai that allowed them to manipulate others' five senses and turn illusions into reality.
Only those with powerful spiritual energy, like users of the Mangekyō Sharingan, could achieve such feats.
Even techniques like Izanagi, which could alter reality using the regular Sharingan, came at the cost of blinding the user.
The bloodline of the Kurama Clan was rare, manifesting only once every few generations, and often afflicted those who inherited it with poor health.
Kurama Yakumo, the current heir, had awakened the clan's Kekkei Genkai but, due to her frail body, was unable to complete basic physical training.
She was tutored at home by Kurenai, an expert in genjutsu.
Despite jokes from fans about Kurenai being defeated by Itachi, it was only because Itachi's genjutsu skills were extraordinary.
Outside of such rare cases, Kurenai was indeed Konoha's best genjutsu user.
During Yakumo's training, Kurenai discovered a malevolent entity called "Ido" residing within Yakumo.
When it went out of control, Ido would pull those nearby into an illusionary world and launch indiscriminate attacks. Its ultimate goal was to dominate Yakumo's will until Minato sealed it away.
Yakumo became Kurenai's disciple, and while her taijutsu was lacking, her genjutsu skills were unmatched, even challenging Kurenai herself.
When deciding which team Karin and Haku should join, Minato remembered Kurenai and Yakumo, which led to the formation of Team 11.
Though Haku's skills surpassed the typical Genin, having spent years as a wandering ninja, it wouldn't have made sense for him to take the Chūnin Exams just yet.
Besides, Zabuza, whose forehead protector still bore the symbol of Kirigakure, hadn't yet accepted that he was a missing-nin.
As for Haku, he didn't mind waiting until his new team was ready to take the Chūnin Exams together.
Meanwhile, Karin had been training with Kushina, learning fūinjutsu and water-style ninjutsu.
Under Kushina's influence, she was becoming more like a daughter to her, with her personality softening over time.
Thus, Konoha's most striking team was formed of three beauties and one handsome man, though the most striking of them all was the man...
For now, Team 11 focused on completing D-rank missions in Konoha to build experience and teamwork. Naruto, meanwhile, had taken on a rather interesting mission that started with watching a movie.
Team 7 was sent to Onsen Commercial Street, a small town similar to Short Book Street but notable for having a movie theatre.
Kakashi handed Naruto three tickets and said, "You guys go ahead and watch the movie. The actress playing the heroine is the person we need to protect. I'll go meet the client."
As Kakashi left, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke entered the theatre. Sakura clung to Sasuke's arm, and though it was unclear if he allowed it or just didn't resist, he didn't pull away.
Naruto followed behind, finding it odd to be watching a movie in this world. Unfortunately, Hinata had her mission to attend to.
The film was black and white, telling the story of a princess who, with a few loyal followers, overcame many hardships to defeat a demon king and save her people.
Naruto was particularly amused by the colourful chakra effects added at the end of the black-and-white film when the princess defeated the demon king.
When the movie ended, Sakura gushed excitedly, "That movie was amazing! And the actor was so handsome!"
She then added, "Of course, Sasuke is still the most handsome."
Sasuke merely commented, "What a boring story."
Naruto smirked. "Boring? Then why were you watching so intently just now?"
Sasuke, his ears slightly red, retorted, "That was... for mission intel!"
Naruto decided not to tease him further. Instead, he gazed at the theatre's billboard, which read The Adventures of Princess Fūun and silently pondered.
This mission might turn out to be more complicated than expected...
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